Life Sciences Commons^™

Re-Thinking The Summer Drenching Program, Brown Besier

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The summer drenching program has provided highly effective sheep worm control in Western Australia for many years - but recent research challenges its long term sustainability.

Trial results suggest that in large parts of the State, summer drenching is the main factor leading to the development of drench resistant worms. Alternative programs less likely to lead to drench resistance will require greater monitoring of worm burdens and panning pasture moves.

Testing The Efficiency Of Broadacre Farms, Ben Henderson, Ross Kingwell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A study of 93 broadacre farms has revealed that most farms display high levels of technical efficiency. On average, technical efficiency is improving, although a small proportion of farms remain relatively inefficient due to a number of factors.

Yellow Lupins For The Pig Industry, Bruce P. Mullan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

There is no doubt that Yellow lupins are suitable as an ingredient in the diet of pigs from weaning through until slaughter. While no research has been conducted on feeding this variety to breeding stock, there is no reason to believe that it would not be a suitable source of energy and amino acids. Whether it will become a significant ingredient in pig diets will depend on its availability and price.

Crimson Seedless Promise Wa Table Grape Boon, Ian Cameron

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Five years of research and development into growing Crimson Seedless table grapes in Western Australia has produced a product of international quality. Berry sizes are 20 per cent larger than those being exported by both California and other Australian States. Overall, Crimson Seedless is expected to provide enormous opportunities for Western Australia's table grape industry.

Ecological Sustainability For Pastoral Management, Hugh Pringle, Ken Tinley

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Pastoralists and rangeland bureaucracies are now required to operate within the limits of ecological sustainability. However, while the concept of ecological sustainability has been enshrined in law and policy at State and Commonwealth levels in Australia, there has been little translation into pastoral management objectives. The introduction of the 'EMU (Ecosystem Management Unit) process', as an equal partnership between ecologists and pastoralists, promises to bring pastoralists into close dialogue with the landscapes they manage on their stations, and to acknowledge and manage for values other than pasture production. In doing so, pastoralists are likely to increase production, reduce costs, and …

Bugs By The Million For Medfly Eradication, Bill Woods

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

As a first step towards nation-wide eradication of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), a pilot project was undertaken in Broome using Sterile Insect Technique in an attempt to eradication the Medfly population. The results have been promising, and further investigation of eradication for Western Australia is underway.

Protein Plus : Increasing Summer Milk Protein Levels

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Protein Plus has commenced as a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and the CSIRO Division of Livestock Industries. The project is aimed at investigating the causes of Western Australia's problems with low summer milk protein levels, and finding management solutions for farmers.

Investigating Teeth Eruption And Eating Quality, Sarah Weisse, Rob Davidson, Brian Mcintyre, David Pethick, John Thompson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In Australia, a sheep ceases to be a lamb as soon as the eruption of its first permanent incisor teeth is evident. As part of a wider program to investigate a number of aspects of sheep meat eating quality, a project was undertaken to determine whether lamb eating quality would be compromised if sheep with partially erupted teeth continued to be classified as lamb.

Overall, the results indicated that meat from young sheep with partially erupted teeth was unlikely to be inferior in eating quality than the meat currently classified as lamb.

Improving Irrigation For Ord Sugar Cane, Jim Engelke, Joe Sherrard, Gae Plunkett, Tim Triglone

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Major changes are underway in irrigation practices for the Ord sugar industry as it moves to implement recent findings on improving irrigation efficiency and managing rising groundwater. Significant improvement in efficiency is expected by more accurately matching water application with crop water requirements and by minimising drainage losses through improved water application techniques.

Based on findings from this work, drying off may not be an appropriate strategy for the ORIA as a means of improving crop sucrose content, but could allow for some reduction in water use towards the end of the crop cycle without adversely impacting on sucrose yield. …

Wa Beef Industry And Consumers Benefit From Meat Standards Australia (Msa), John Lucey

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Western Australian beef industry confirmed its world-class status when it became the first to implement the national beef grading scheme Meat Standards Australia.

Ofda2000 Brings Major Changes For Wool Industry, Andrew Peterson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The classing of any wool clip into lines of uniform quality is a crucial step in optimising the value of the wool. Objective Clip Preparation (OCP) standards and training of wool classers lave led to the Australian wool clip being internationally recognised as the best classed and prepared wool in the world. However, adherence to OCP standards of clip preparation still leads to a substantial range in diameter and crimp frequency of fleeces within the main lines. Therefore, an opportunity has existed to develop improved technology to reduce the variation in quality within any main line, create lines of even …

Improving Productivity With Dairy Farm Performance, David Windsor, Ken Crawford, Stuart Gallagher, Vicki Staines

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

How productive can a dairy farm be? What options are available to dairy farmers to increase their productivity and profitability? How can you reduce milk production costs effectively? These are the kinds of questions that dairy farmers are, or should be, asking leading up to and immediately after deregulation. These questions, and many more, can be answered by participating in Agriculture Western Australia's (AGWEST) Dairy Farm Performance (DFP) Program. David Windsor, Ken Crawford, Stuart Gallagher and Vicki Staines report on DFP and the benefits being generated for dairy farmers in Western Australia.

South-West Medlfy Study Highlights Improved Control Strategies, Sonya Broughton, Francis De Lima

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Mediterranean fruit fly has become an extremely important pest of commercial orchards in recent years, with there being numerous reports of control problems from fruit growing districts in the South-west of Western Australia. To assist in finding a solution to the problem of effective Medfly control, a study commenced in July 1995 to develop further understanding of Medfly ecology and to evaluate control strategies under varying climatic and management conditions in the South-west region. Sonya Broughton and Francis De Lima report on the outcomes of the three-year study.

Raised Beds Prevent Waterlogging And Increase Productivity, Greg Hamilton, Derk Bakker, David Houlebrook, Cliff Spann

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Permanent Raised Beds are proving to be a revolutionary means of preventing waterlogging and a substantially increasing the productivity of wet and poorly productive land in Western Australia. In just three years, a research project has seen significant improvements in yield and reductions in waterlogging.

Weevil Management In Orchards And Vineyards Looks Promising, Stewart Learmonth

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Research and monitoring undertaken by Agriculture Western Australia is showing that the management of weevils in Western Australia's orchard crops and vineyards is improving. A number of alternative management strategies are being implemented, and future research will assess the effectiveness of non-chemical approaches to weevil management.

New Sheep Meat Breeds For Western Australia, Matthew Young

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The continuing decline in wool prices and the arrival of several new meat sheep breeds from South Africa are being seen as an opportunity for pastoral wool growers to diversify into sheep meat production, or to add value to their Merino flocks. Since the arrival of the Damara, Dorper and South African Meat Merino, the interest in these breeds has spread not only across the sheep areas of Western Australia, but also to many parts of Australia. Matthew Young reports on a number of demonstrations undertaken in recent years to assess the performance of these new breeds both on the …

Western Australia - A Johne's Disease Free Zone, Peter Morcombe

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The control of Johne's disease (JD) in Australia is coordinated nationally by Animal Health Australia in conjunction with the livestock industries and the Commonwealth and State "Governments. Zones were established for Australia in July 1999 to control the spread of JD. These zones ensured that surveillance established the prevalence of JD, and that movement restrictions on livestock appropriate to the zone status were implemented. Following many years of surveillance and restrictions on the introduction of livestock, Western Australia has now been declared a Johne's Disease Free Zone - the first in Australia. Johne's Disease State Coordinator Peter Morcombe looks at …

Improving Feed Grains, Bruce P. Mullan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Clearly, to encourage grain growers to focus their production systems towards feed grains, it is important to first identify the reasons for variation in the nutritional value of grains and then to develop rapid, cheap, and accurate methods of measuring these factors. The analytical methods should ideally be suitable for application either at the site of grain delivery from the farm or within the place of stockfeed manufacture. This will mean the nutritional value of the grain can be known before it is used. The rational marketing of feed grains could then be achieved, with the benefits from more efficient …

Transgenic Cotton Research Paves The Way For A New Industry In The Kimberley, Geoff Strickland, Amanda Annells

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The use of transgenic cotton varieties (INGARD®) in conjunction with t_x integrated pest management (IPM) systems in the Kimberley region is producing excellent yield and quality prospects for an emerging cotton industry in Western Australia. Geoff Strickland and Amanda Annells report on the value of transgenic cotton and the additional benefits being gained from the use of multi-faceted IPM systems.

Managing Lupin Anthracnose, Greg Shea, W A. Cowling, B J. Burchell, D Luckett, H Yang, Mark W. Sweetingham, Geoff J. Thomas

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Anthracnose in lupins was first reported in commercial crops in Western Australia in September 1996. By October 1996, several thousand lupin breeding lines and wild types of 11 lupin species were sown in New Zealand for resistance screening. In 1997, resistance to anthracnose was confirmed in several breeding fines and commercial cultivars of narrow-leafed lupins (I. angustifolius), landraces of albus lupins (I. albus) and wild types of several other lupin species. Important information on critical seed infection levels and fungicide seed treatment has also been determined.

Carrot Export Growth Depends On Keeping Cavity Spot Under Control, Allan Mckay, Elaine Davison

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Cavity spot is the most serious disease affecting carrot production in Ly Western Australia. With carrots now being the State's most important horticultural export, Agriculture Western Australia has undertaken extensive research to ensure the export market continues to grow.

Accelerating Variety Release With Double Haploids, Sue Broughton

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The use of plant tissue culture to produce special lines called doubled haploids is reducing the time taken to breed new varieties of cereal crops by up to three years. Sue Broughton outlines what doubled haploids are, how they are produced, and why they have been able to short circuit the usual lengthy breeding process.

Profit From Pastures, Mark Callow, Martin Van Houtert

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The research program has made a major contribution to the improvement of pasture management techniques, which has, in turn, led to a gain in productivity for dairy farms in the south-west of Western Australia. Analysis has shown a 25 per cent improvement in pasture utilisation, an increase in the average number of cows milked from 155 to 192, an increase in average stocking rates from 0.9 to 1.2 cows per hectare, and increased income from milk sales by $600 per hectare. There are still areas for improvement in sustainability, productivity, and profitability, but the success to date is a credit …

Finding Western Australia's Most Profitable Merino Flocks, David Windsor

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Wether trials across Western Australia are showing significant differences in Merino flock productivity, which have important implications for whole-farm profitability. David Windsor reports on how wool growers in the 21 st century can maximise productivity by combining superior management skills with the best available genetic material.

Eradicating Virulent Footrot From Western Australia, R K. Mitchell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australia has a unique opportunity to eradicate virulent footrot from the State's sheep flock, with only 62 properties or 0.6 per cent of sheep properties currently in quarantine. The majority of Western Australian flocks are now free of virulent footrot, with targeted on-farm and abattoir surveillance used to detect the remaining properties affected by the disease. Bob Mitchell reports on how farmers, industry, and government are working together, with research playing an important part in the eradication campaign.

Clubroot, Rachel Lancaster, Caroline Donald, Ian Porter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Rachel Lancaster, Caroline Donald and Ian Palmer, outline some control measures for clubroot, one of the most serious diseases of crucifers world wide.

Success With Serradella In The Wheatbelt, Clinton Revell, Bradley Nutt, Michael Ewing

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Clinton Revell, Bradley Nutt, and Michael Ewing review the latest developments with new varieties of French serradella and yellow seradella that should provide the basis for productive legume pastures on acidic, sandy soils throughout the wheatbelt of Western Australia

Clones Help Develop Ewe Feeding Strategy, Myra Yelland, Rob Kelly, John Davies, Johan Greeff

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Cloned sheep are not a new animal to the researchers of Agriculture WA, but the method that produced Dolly is.

Cloned sheep have been produced at the great Southern Research Institute as early as the mid 1980s. Myra Yelland, Rob Kelly, John Davies and Johan Greef outline how clones are used in experimental studies on wool production

Selling Western Australian Wool To The World, Georgina Wilson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Western Australia supplies 14 per cent of the worls's apparel wool and Agriculture WA's Wool Program has been working to raise the State's profile as a consistent supplier of high quality fibre to the world markets. It's a slow process in a very traditional industry, but modern measurement and computers are useful tools as Georgina Wilson explains.

Trees Working In Western Australia, Dave Berry

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

There is an air of inevirability about farm forestry - no-one disputs that planting trees is a sure route to curbing agriculture's serious land degredation problem. Dave Berry talks with some of the key players developing the industry.